Who Knew?
by Amarxlen
Summary: Reflecting over his life, Naruto sees every mistake and savors every precious moment, wanting only Sasuke. SasuNaru.


You took my hand

_You took my hand  
You showed me how  
You promised me you'd be around_

_I took your words  
And I believed  
In everything  
You said to me  
_

It was late as a single orange clad shinobi trained relentlessly. Sweat ran down his face, despite the fact that the night air was cool against his skin. The wind ran its fingers through the trees where a raven haired shinobi sat.

"Oi, dobe," he called. The blonde looked around, before his eyes landed on his friend and he brightened noticeably. He grinned and sat down on the ground, his eyes never leaving the raven haired boy.

"Hey Sasuke," the blue eyed boy said, before lying down on the ground. Sasuke rolled his eyes; it wasn't the first time Naruto trained until he collapsed. He jumped down from his perch and landed next to Naruto.

"You're going to end up killing yourself," Sasuke warned Naruto as he kneeled down beside him. Naruto's eyes cracked open, squinting, and showing Sasuke the blue color he so loved. The blonde smiled tiredly then replied.

"I won't die. Not until I become Hokage." Even though his voice was thick with exhaustion the determination shined through as clearly as the moon above them that bathed the clearing in an otherworldly glow.

Sasuke couldn't help but let a small smile grace his pale features at Naruto's predictable statement. His eyes had fallen shut again as the Uchiha knelt beside him. Sasuke surveyed the blonde, and his hand twitched. Slowly, carefully, as if approaching a particularly dangerous animal, his hand reached forward. Naruto's eyes opened a bit as he felt Sasuke's cold hand touch his own warm hand.

"C'mon," Sasuke said, his hand gripping tighter to Naruto's, "Let's get you home." Naruto nodded weakly as Sasuke stood. The blonde echoed his actions shakily. Sasuke frowned. It was clear Naruto wouldn't be able to walk home. He was far too exhausted.

"Get on," Sasuke told Naruto, pointing at his back. Too tired to question it the blonde clambered on Sasuke's back, wrapping his arms around his neck. Sasuke grabbed his legs, looping his arms around them so that they were no longer dangling.

"Sasuke?" Naruto whispered, his head lying against Sasuke's blue clad shoulder where he had a close up view of the curse mark.

"Hn?" Sasuke acknowledged that he was paying attention as he kept walking towards Naruto's house. The blonde slowly reached up and fingered the curse seal. Sasuke stiffened and flinched, but didn't stop walking.

"Promise me something," Naruto said suddenly. The raven haired genin didn't answer right away, thinking. What would Naruto want him to promise? He swallowed, and his answer came out.

"Anything," he murmured, not realizing that a lie had just left his lips.

"Promise me..." Naruto trailed off, and for a moment Sasuke thought he had fallen asleep.

"Promise me, you'll always be here." The blonde hummed into Sasuke's ear. Sasuke relaxed; it would be an easy promise to keep and he would still be able to kill Itachi. He smiled, softly pressing his lips to Naruto's hand.

"I promise... Forever." Naruto smiled, closing his eyes and nuzzling the Uchiha's neck, holding tighter to him.

_  
If someone said three years from now  
You'd be long gone  
I'd stand up and punch them out  
Cause they're all wrong  
I know better  
Cause you said forever  
And ever  
Who knew?_

There was a little voice of doubt in Naruto's mind. It was a little voice of doubt that he hated. He wished it had a physical form, so he could shut it up, punch it, and show it that Sasuke would never leave him.

That little voice of doubt would pick and pick at Naruto's belief, no matter how hard he tried to push it away. Why couldn't the little voice see that Sasuke had said forever? Why couldn't the little voice see that Sasuke would never go back on his word?

Even though the voice tried to torment Naruto it could never dismount his belief in the Uchiha. Naruto knew better than to believe in the voice. Sasuke had said forever. And Naruto believed him.

_  
Remember when we were such fools  
And so convinced and just too cool  
_

"_Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I'll bring Sasuke back, I promise!_"

Sasuke had left. He had left Konoha, and all its villagers behind. He had left Naruto. Naruto couldn't remember the last time he had felt so depressed. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt an emotional pain so powerful it was physical.

Still, he smiled at Sakura, promising that he would bring Sasuke back, confident he would succeed. He had to succeed.

He could feel the darkness descending again as he ran with four other teammates, Shikamaru, Neji, Choji, and Kiba. He frowned at the darkness, narrowing his eyes in a glare. The darkness that Sasuke brought to cover those who loved him was deeper and darker than any Naruto could remember.

Those who loved him... Naruto loved him.

_That's why I have to bring him back!_

And because Naruto loved Sasuke, even though they were against four powerful shinobi, even though their odds were getting slimmer by the moment, even though he wouldn't have given up anyways, he would never give Sasuke up. Sasuke ignited a special determination in Naruto, a determination that promised even if Naruto died he would bring Sasuke back.

He would bring Sasuke back._  
_

_I wish I could touch you again  
I wish I could still call you friend  
I'd give anything_

Two years. Naruto could hardly believe it had been two years since he'd last seen the raven haired shinobi. That it had been two years since he had held and been held by the raven haired shinobi. Two years since Sasuke had promised he would never leave. Two years since Naruto had promised Sakura that he would bring Sasuke back.

Only, he never had brought Sasuke back. He had failed.

His hands twitched, but it wasn't in longing to attack. His hand twitched in longing to hold Sasuke, to run his fingers through his raven hair, to caress the pale shinobi. He remembered how it felt, but he didn't trust the memory to convey the reality accurately. His memory of when he had last seen Sasuke could hardly compare to the real Sasuke in front of him.

He wanted to hear Sasuke promise again to him, that he would never leave. He wanted to wake up to find that it was a terrible dream that Sasuke had been trying to wake him from. He wanted to call out to Sasuke. But the words were hardly what he was feeling. What he was feeling could not be expressed in words, as he clenched his fists, as if clinging to the feel of Sasuke.

As he closed his eyes, fighting the tears, he felt he would have given anything to have Sasuke back. He would have given anything to keep the raven haired shinobi in the Leaf village. He would have given up his dreams of Hokage if it would make Sasuke come back.

But Sasuke was as stubborn as Naruto remembered. At least that memory was true, down to the way Sasuke would make eye contact, as if to assure that he would never abandon his position or change his mind. Sasuke would stick with it until the end. And in this case, 'it' was killing Itachi.

Naruto hated Itachi more than he thought he could hate anything else. He hated Itachi because it was his fault Sasuke wanted power. It was his fault Sasuke had been convinced to go to the Sound, to Orochimaru. He hated Itachi with every fiber of his being and would be quite happy if Itachi just dropped dead. He would be even happier if he could kill Itachi himself, and free Sasuke.

He wanted Sasuke to be free, so that he could touch Sasuke and hold Sasuke. He wanted Sasuke to be free so that he could still call Sasuke friend and never rival. He would give anything for Sasuke.

_  
When someone said count your blessings now  
'Fore they're long gone  
I guess I just didn't know how  
I was all wrong  
They knew better  
Still you said forever  
And ever  
Who knew_

Naruto still had memories of a nicer Sasuke, a happier Sasuke. A Sasuke that just plain showed more emotion than the Sasuke that stood in front of him. And Naruto never really stopped to appreciate that nicer and happier Sasuke; until this new Sasuke showed him how drastically one person could change.

The memories flooded over him, exploding from the box he had packed them in. And for some reason, he couldn't shove the memories back into their box.

_"Sasuke will come to me."_

The sentence replayed over and over in Naruto's mind as he stared blankly at a bowl of ramen. Sasuke wouldn't leave, would he? Naruto picked up his chopsticks and let them hover above his bowl. Of course not. He promised. He said forever.

And the prideful Uchiha would never go back on his word, would he? Naruto set down his chopsticks again, laying his head down on the counter, worrying over Sasuke.

What if Sasuke wanted the power to defeat Itachi so badly he would go to Orochimaru, leave Naruto, and betray the Leaf village? Naruto closed his eyes, worry encasing his features.

"Dobe? You're actually sitting next to ramen and _not_ inhaling it? Are you sick?" the familiar and soothing voice was accompanied by a hand touching his face. Naruto peeked out through half closed eyes before grabbing Sasuke's hand.

"Haha. Very funny," the blonde said, releasing his hand and turning away. Sasuke frowned behind him, now thoroughly worried. No, "Shut up, teme"? He slid down from the stool before sitting on the one on Naruto's other side.

"Naruto," Sasuke said tenderly, reaching for Naruto's hands. "What's wrong?" he asked, murmuring in the blonde's ear, his breath tickling Naruto. The blue eyed boy shivered and swatted him away before sitting up.

Sasuke was now extremely worried, as Naruto faced him with sadness and confusion in his eyes. Suddenly Naruto reached out and quickly took Sasuke's hands, squeezing them tightly.

"Sasuke..." he said lowly, looking down at the pale shinobi's hands in his. Sasuke's gaze never left the blonde as he began to rub soothing circles onto Naruto's hands.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Sasuke whispered, leaning closer to him. Naruto's shoulders trembled slightly as his lips parted so he could speak.

"You promised right?" Naruto asked, pleading with his eyes.

"You'll always be here, right?" Naruto said urgently.

"Naruto..." Sasuke began. Didn't the blonde trust him to keep his promise? Wordlessly he slid down from his stool, hands still in Naruto's and began to pull him away. Naruto followed, wondering what the Uchiha was up to.

Sasuke didn't say anything, and Naruto didn't know what to say. All he could do now was wait for Sasuke's reply. For minutes Sasuke continued to direct him, finally stopping near the forest at the edge of Konoha. Naruto's eyes never left the raven haired boy once.

The blonde was extremely worried about Sasuke's silence until he felt the raven haired boy release his hands in order to wrap his arms around Naruto in an embrace.

"I promise, Naruto. I'll always be here. Forever." The Uchiha then pulled away from Naruto before flicking the back of his head.

"Never doubt me," he ordered. Naruto paused for a minute before tackling Sasuke to the ground and cuddling into his chest.

"I want you to be around forever," Naruto said softly.

"Forever," Sasuke once again promised, wrapping his arms around the blonde and kissing the top of his head.

_  
I'll keep you locked in my head  
Until we meet again  
Until we meet again  
And I won't forget you my friend  
What happened_

The day Naruto had failed to bring Sasuke back, a box was created. This box was large, and had many locks, that even the best shinobi could never open. Those locks were reserved for two people only. Naruto himself and Sasuke are the only two with the right keys for those locks.

And into this box Naruto poured all of his memories of Sasuke, and everything that reminded him of Sasuke. It wasn't easy, because there were several things that refused to be locked away. Naruto fought with these things, and eventually they relented and went silently into his box.

Finally Naruto had shoved all of his memories of Sasuke into that box. Now all that remained was to shut the lid of the box and clasp the locks closed. But Naruto hesitated, looking at the pile of memories.

Did he really want to lock Sasuke away? Sasuke had always been a driving force for Naruto, pushing him to do better, work harder. It was thanks to Sasuke that Naruto was as strong as he was. Was he ready to lock away his driving force?

His hands lingered over the box, ready to close the lid until he met Sasuke again. Slowly he pulled his hands back. Could he really lock Sasuke away? He fingered the box, thinking, a past time of his that Sasuke would have claimed dangerous for the blonde dobe's brain. Naruto smiled sadly, his blue eyes refocusing on the large box.

Finally, he shut the box; but he would never truly forget Sasuke, and the raven haired bastard would continue to be his driving force as Naruto continued to get stronger, in his quest to bring Sasuke back.

_  
If someone said three years from now  
You'd be long gone  
I'd stand up and punch them out  
Cause they're all wrong and_

"Naruto... Sasuke's gone..." It was Sakura. And Naruto knew by her tone of voice that she was giving up. He knew by the way she said it that the pink haired girl was ready to accept that Sasuke was gone, and was ready to proclaim that he wasn't coming back.

"So you're giving up?" Naruto asked, never meeting her emerald eyes as he stared at the ramen he had previously been eating. There was a pause, in which the background noise of the ramen shop was the only thing heard.

Naruto looked up, to see Sakura's eyes filled with tears as she stared at the counter of Ichiraku's. Slowly, she nodded, and Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief. He had known that Sakura was bordering on giving up for a while, but still to see her claim that she was giving up shocked Naruto.

Quickly, his eyes narrowed into slits and he slammed his chopsticks down on the counter.

"Dammit, Sakura!" The pink haired girl looked shocked at his blatant anger at her.

"You can't just give up! I thought you loved Sasuke!" She looked away guiltily, turning red.

"I-I do!" she stuttered, still not looking at Naruto.

"Well you're not acting like it!" Naruto continued. He was so angry. How could Sakura just give up on Sasuke? Was the extent of her love to care for him so long as he was in Konoha? So long as he didn't betray them?

"If you love someone you can't just give up on them! No matter what!" The customers of the ramen shop were now staring as tears filled Sakura's eyes.

"That's not fair, Naruto!" she shouted as her tear filled eyes finally found his blue ones. She went to continue but Naruto interrupted her.

"No! You know what's not fair, Sakura?" he had jumped off his stool and was now glaring at the pink haired girl.

"You giving up on him. That's what's not fair." Naruto's voice had fallen to a whisper as he stared at the ground. Slowly the customers went back to their food and discussions.

"That's what's not fair," Naruto repeated, before shoving his hands in his pockets and leaving the ramen shop.

_  
That last kiss  
I'll cherish  
Until we meet again_

"Sasuke... You can't leave." Naruto was angry. Sasuke was leaving. He looked at the blonde blankly, before motioning the Sound Four to wait a while ahead.

"No matter what you say, I'm leaving." Sasuke stated. Naruto was shaking visibly, holding back the tears of anger that threatened to spill over.

"You can't leave," he repeated, his eyes on the grass below their feet. Sasuke stood there, watching Naruto intently, but uncaringly. Naruto could hardly bear to have those eyes on him, so blank and full of nothing.

"Why not?" Sasuke said in a tone that conveyed that he didn't care what reason Naruto had to offer; he would still leave. Naruto didn't answer right away as the wind blew through the clearing, dragging its fingers through their hair and tickling their skin.

"Because you promised," Naruto said, lifting his head to look the Uchiha in the eyes. There was no visible response from the Uchiha as they stood there.

"You promised!" Naruto yelled, the tears spilling over.

"You promised you'd never leave! You promised you'd always be here! You said forever!" The Uchiha watched and listened to Naruto's shouts with empty onyx eyes.

"Forever's a long time." Sasuke said, hands in his pockets.

"But you promised forever..." Naruto trailed off, trembling as the tears fell from his eyes. He reached up to wipe them away as Sasuke stepped towards him.

"Naruto..."

When the blonde pulled his hands away Sasuke was right in front of him, his eyes no longer empty, but full of emotion. But not one of those emotions was regret for leaving. Naruto stood there, refusing to speak to the Uchiha as he pouted at a spot behind Sasuke.

"Naruto," Sasuke growled, annoyed at the blonde ignoring him. Naruto continued to ignore him, still focusing on that same spot as more tears fell. Sasuke growled and before Naruto knew what was happening a pair of lips was crashing on his own in a demanding kiss. Naruto mentally grinned, celebrating his would be victory.

Slowly, Sasuke pulled away, repeating, "Forever's a long time, dobe."

As soon as that sentence left his lips, Naruto felt the world around him slipping away. Anger flamed dully around his heart, and his last thought was, _bastard_...

_  
And time makes  
It harder  
I wish I could remember  
But I keep  
Your memory  
You visit me in my sleep_

_My darling_

_Who knew?_

After Sasuke left Naruto trained relentlessly, and he hardly got any sleep. But on those nights when he was so tired, he couldn't help but sleep; his dreams were filled with Sasuke.

They always started the same. Naruto would be walking through Konoha, and everything would seem normal. The shop keepers would ignore him, the boy who had the Kyuubi inside of him, but it no longer bothered him.

He was always heading for the training grounds, before a backpack on a blue clad back would claim his attention. He would rush after it, knowing that it was Sasuke. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach as he followed, running after Sasuke.

He tried to yell out to Sasuke, but his voice always failed him, and he was left to run after the raven haired shinobi. Slowly, he caught up to Sasuke, the knot in his stomach becoming bigger. Consciously, he knew he was dreaming, but he couldn't wake up. He also knew this was the part where he would find his voice.

"Sasuke!" His voice ripped across the dream as the world faded around them and now they were traveling through black. The boy stopped, and Naruto stopped as well. But he was hardly relieved.

"Forever is too long, Naruto," his dream Sasuke told him. And as Sasuke turned, his image faded in darkness and he became Orochimaru. Naruto's dream was now a nightmare. His heart lodged itself in his throat. Orochimaru grinned in triumph before Sasuke faded back, staring at Naruto with those same empty eyes. Naruto still hated those empty eyes, and wouldn't care even if they showed anger as long as they displayed emotion.

"You promised forever," Naruto choked out.

"Forever is too long Naruto. Forever is too long to spend with someone like you." Naruto bit back his sobs as Sasuke faded away. Now Naruto was left alone, his hair and orange clothes seeming to make him glow in the darkness.

_Someone like you_, continued to float through his ears.

That was when Naruto awoke, tears covering his pillow and soaking through it.

"Sasuke..." he moaned out. "You bastard." Naruto sniffled and rolled over, knowing he wouldn't be able to return to sleep that night. He almost wished he had shoved all of his memories of Sasuke back into that large box. But the large box had disappeared the moment he decided that he didn't want to forget. And now he had to live with his choice.

_I will bring you back. Even if you don't want me to._


End file.
